Canopy luminaires are designed to provide a downward and outward distribution of light for many applications, including exterior illumination of gasoline service stations, convenience stores and drive-through restaurants, for example. Canopy luminaires typically include a box-like canopy fixture housing mounted to a horizontal ceiling or canopy support structure for enclosing and supporting lighting components and related structure of the canopy luminaire. The lighting components of the canopy luminaire include electrical control elements, such as ballasts, capacitors and ignitors, which are electrically coupled to a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp. The lamp is typically mounted horizontally in a lamp socket within the canopy fixture, and a reflector is provided above the light-emitting section of the lamp to distribute light downwardly through a glass or plastic lens assembly which encloses the lamp.
Replacement or conversion of canopy luminaires generally requires several or all of the existing lighting components and related structure of the luminaire to be removed from the existing canopy fixture housing to provide sufficient room in the fixture housing for installation of the replacement luminaire. In the past, replacement canopy luminaires have been shipped from the manufacturer as disassembled components which are then individually mounted and wired in the canopy fixture housing. It will be appreciated, however, that installation and wiring of the separate retrofit luminaire components in an existing canopy fixture installation is a complicated and time consuming process as the canopy fixture is generally only accessible by ladder. As any location or site may require replacement or conversion of ten or more canopy luminaires, the difficulty associated with installing, mounting and wiring separate retrofit components of the existing canopy luminaires is significantly increased.
Thus, there is a need for a luminaire assembly which minimizes the time required to retrofit an existing canopy luminaire. There is also a need for a luminaire assembly which improves the simplicity and ease of installation of a retrofit luminaire assembly in an existing canopy fixture housing.
To these ends, the present invention provides a retrofit luminaire assembly that is adapted to be mounted to the housing of an existing and installed canopy luminaire. The retrofit luminaire is preassembled and removable as a unit for replacing lighting components and related structure of the existing canopy luminaire, and which is designed to advantageously support the lighting components and related structure of the retrofit assembly as a unit through the installation procedure. The retrofit luminaire assembly is adapted to be suspended from the existing canopy fixture housing while the necessary electrical connections are made between the retrofit luminaire assembly and incoming power leads in the existing luminaire housing.
More specifically, the retrofit luminaire assembly in accordance with one aspect of the present invention includes a substantially planar panel having an upper surface and a lower surface. A high intensity discharge (HID) lamp is mounted to the panel with the light-emitting section of the lamp extending downwardly and away from the lower surface of the panel. A glass or plastic lens is mounted to the lower surface of the panel for enclosing the light-emitting section of the lamp. Preferably, at least one electrical control element is mounted to the upper surface of the panel and electrically coupled to the lamp. The electrical control element includes a set of electrical leads having a free end which is adapted to be spliced to the incoming power leads of the existing canopy luminaire.
The retrofit luminaire assembly preferably includes a support member mounted along one side edge of the panel which includes a pair of oppositely directed pivot members or arms formed at opposite ends of the support member. The pivot members extend perpendicularly to respectively associated side edges of the panel, which latter edges are spanned by the panel edge along which the elongated support member is mounted. Further, the pivot members lie on an imaginary line which is outboard of, and parallel to the panel side edge along which the support member is mounted. The pair of oppositely directed pivot members or arms are adapted to overlie and engage a pair of inwardly directed flanges surrounding an opening in the canopy fixture housing for removably and pivotally suspending the retrofit luminaire assembly as a unit for movement between a vertical, inoperative position and a horizontal, operative position. In the vertical, inoperative position, the retrofit canopy luminaire is completely suspended, allowing xe2x80x9chands freexe2x80x9d to make the necessary electrical connections. In the suspended position, the electrical leads from the electrical control elements are accessible for coupling with the incoming power leads of the existing canopy luminaire which are located in the interior of the existing luminaire housing. In the horizontal, operative position, the panel, which is sized to be slightly larger than the opening in the canopy fixture housing, has its outer edges slightly below and outboard of the housing opening, thereby completely closing the opening in the existing canopy fixture housing.
Preferably, a resilient spring clip is mounted to the upper surface of the panel at a side edge which is opposite the panel side edge to which the support member is mounted. The resilient spring clip has an outer end which extends beyond the edge of the panel to engage an inwardly directed flange surrounding the opening in the canopy fixture housing to temporarily retain the panel in a partially closed position with its edge extending beyond and underlying the inwardly directed flange of the housing which surrounds the opening therein, facilitating attachment of threaded fasteners to maintain the panel and housing flange in snug, overlapping relationship. A slidable latch may be mounted on the upper surface of the panel proximate the resilient spring clip to retain the panel in the horizontal, operative position when the latch is moved toward one of the inwardly directed flanges of the canopy fixture housing.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a retrofit luminaire housing is mounted to the panel that includes a base and a narrow neck extending upwardly from the base. A lamp socket is mounted within the narrow neck and is accessible from the lower surface of the panel to receive the base of a lamp. A generally bowl-shaped lens configured to enclose the light-emitting section of the lamp is mounted to the base of the retrofit canopy luminaire housing. The lens includes an upper edge or rim which seals with the base of the retrofit luminaire housing to isolate the lamp and lamp socket from the environment. Suitable hinges, clamps or clips are provided on the base of the retrofit luminaire assembly to maintain the lens in place enclosing the lamp with its upper edge or rim sealed against the base of the retrofit luminaire housing.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a fixture housing adaptor is provided to establish a common size opening for a variety of different sizes of fixture housings. The fixture housing adaptor is mounted to the inwardly directed flanges of the fixture housing and extends inwardly beyond the inwardly directed flanges to reduce the size of the opening in the fixture housing to a common sized opening. The panel of the retrofit luminaire assembly is sized to substantially close the reduced size opening in the fixture housing when oriented in its operative position. Accordingly, only one size of the retrofit luminaire assembly, and in particular of the panel, is necessary to fit a variety of different sizes of fixture housings encountered in the field during a retrofit installation.
In accordance with a preferred method of the present invention, the existing lens assembly is first removed from the canopy fixture being retrofitted to expose the opening in the fixture housing. Electrical leads coupled between the power source and the existing ballast are disconnected, and the existing lamp and reflector are then removed from the canopy fixture housing through the opening. A retrofit canopy luminaire assembly having the features described above is suspended in the canopy fixture housing with the pair of oppositely directed pivot members or arms removably and pivotally engaging a pair of inwardly directed flanges surrounding the opening in the canopy fixture housing. The pivot members engage and support the panel of the retrofit luminaire assembly in a substantially vertical, inoperative position while the existing electrical leads from the power source associated with the existing canopy fixture housing are coupled to electrical control elements of the retrofit luminaire assembly. The panel is then pivoted to its closed horizontal, operative position and secured in place to the housing to substantially close the opening in the canopy fixture.
The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying figures and detailed description.